The growing of plants by means of artificial light. One of the most important horticultural achievements of the 20th century. The idea has been around for a long time, and Liberty Hyde Bailey used arc lamps in 1893 to test plants exposure to ultraviolet light.

First real word that Lookup.com returned no results for, and Alpha Algora search returns the message that is is far to common for it to return any results. Perhaps it is a magic word like abracadabra.

It in the book "The Complete Book of Gardening Under Lights" by Elvin McDonald. Jean Shalit of the Today Show recommends the book as "A MUST!". McDonald is the co-founder of the American Gloxinia Society. It's in the first paragraph of the book, and reference several time in the chapters, so it isn't a misspelling.

The word derives in part from Phytochrome which are pigments found in plants.

Elvin was editor of the Gloxinia magazine starting in 1951, and growing plants under artificial light was radical at that time, and still fringe in the 1960. BTW Gloxina are the family of African-violets which people in the 50s & 60s were crazy about.

I'm so please I found a rare, or perhaps missed and extinct word. I like it!

So I spoke with a friend who has his first doctorate in botany, and asked him what "phytoillumination" meant. He raddled off that it meant plants and things that give off their own light, similar to "bio-luminescence". I know of the jack-o-lantern mushroom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omphalotus_oleariushere in the northeast that glows at night, very poisonous.

A quick search has not revealed any natural bio-luminescence in plants. Biotech has been inserting firefly genes into mustard plants to make them glow for an hour after being touched.

On a serious note: I don't know the word phytoillumination and it is too long to pronounce. The growing of plants under lights, in a planting medium other than soil, and under strict temperature control is the coming thing. I have no interest in the product from Colorado. The Netherlands is the biggest European exporter of tomatoes. They have them year round and I am told they are plump, juicy, and flavorful. If you are in Europe, try some and give us your reaction.